This Small Town Is Route 66's Most Unexpected Stop-and It's Home to More Donkeys Than People

"Oatman, Arizona, feels unapologetically kitschy with staged Wild West shoot-outs and souvenir shops lining dusty boardwalks, making it a memorable tourist destination."

"The drive to Oatman is worth the trip, snaking through rocky, sagebrush-covered hills and wide-open landscapes that feel far removed from modern life."

"Oatman began as a gold boomtown in the early 1900s, with an estimated $10 million worth of gold extracted, leading to a rapid population increase."

"The burros, descendants of pack animals, adapted to life in the desert after being set loose when mining operations ceased, now roaming freely in the area."

Oatman, Arizona, is a quirky tourist town located on Route 66, known for its staged Wild West shoot-outs and roaming wild burros. The town, situated in the Black Mountains, offers dramatic scenery and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of its gold boomtown origins in the early 1900s. Although it experienced a decline after the 1920s and became a ghost town by 1960, Oatman remains alive with about 100 residents and nearly 2,000 wild burros, which visitors can interact with, enhancing the town's charm.

Read at Travel + Leisure